Breakdown Song
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and ninety-two: On their way back to Lima, Will and the club get stuck on the road... break out the guitar...


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eigth cycle, and ninth cycle._

_Now comes the tenth cycle. And since that feels like it should be special, this is what I'm doing: Cycle 10 will feature my top 15 of some favorite things from Glee. Characters, ships, friends... It will be daily ficlets for numbers 15 down to 2, but number 1 will be a 7-chapter story :) Here we go!_  
_**Coming in at number thirteen!**_

* * *

**"Breakdown Song"  
Will & New Directions**

The ride had gotten off fairly noisy with conversation, but the further they went, the more it got dark, and people started falling asleep. Out of respect, the others tried to stay quiet. It made the sounds of the rain outside resonate a little louder. They were on their way back to Lima from a Glee Club outing out of town, and everyone just wanted to get home.

Will had gotten to looking over his papers, looking at his plan for the coming week's Spanish class. He could hear whispers in the back, the rain over them, and the motor below… It was no wonder some of them had fallen asleep… He was starting to doze off…

And then… a loud pop, waking the sleepers with a start, as the driver hit the brakes and they came to a jarring and silencing stop. After a moment, Will got up and looked back. "You guys okay?" Everyone nodded, so he turned to the driver, who was grabbing his coat, hanging behind him. "What happened?" he asked.

"Flat, I'm guessing. You kids hang tight, I'll be back," the driver explained before climbing off the bus. Will looked back to the twelve of them sitting there, confused, concerned. He quickly got to thinking about how to keep them positive. There was one good way to do that.

"Puck, you've got your guitar, yes?" He nodded and grabbed the case from overhead. "Who's got a song? Anything," he incited them. No one spoke for a while, thinking. It was Puck who got them started, sitting with his guitar and strumming along. It got the others' attention, and they smiled as Artie started singing, joined by the others, little by little, particularly at the chorus.

_[ALL] "Carry on my wayward son, / There'll be peace when you are done / Lay your weary head to rest / Don't you cry no more_

_Once I rose above the noise and confusion / Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion / I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high / Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man / Though my mind could think I still was a mad man / I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say:_

_Carry on my wayward son, / There'll be peace when you are done / Lay your weary head to rest / Don't you cry no more"_

The others began to move, change seats to get closer to the source of the music. The cluster gave the gathering of their voices that much more power. They weren't tired or worried in that moment. They were in a good place.

_[ALL] "Masquerading as a man with a reason / My charade is the event of the season / And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know / On a stormy sea of moving emotion / Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean / I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say:_

_Carry on my wayward son, / There'll be peace when you are done / Lay your weary head to rest / Don't you cry no more NO!_

_Carry on, you will always remember / Carry on, nothing equals the splendor / Now your life's no longer empty / Surely heaven waits for you_

_Carry on my wayward son, / There'll be peace when you are done / Lay your weary head to rest / Don't you cry / Don't you cry no more"_

They had just finished the song, laughing along, when the driver came back in, drenched from the rain. They all turned to look. "Sorry, kids, it's going to be a while," he spoke, reaching to a towel to wipe his face. There was a low groan as they watched him disappear back outside. Rachel, never renouncing the chance to play morale booster captain, looked to them. "Let's find another song." Everyone made to think. Brittany whispered something to Santana, who shook her head. Puck continued to absently pluck at the strings; Mercedes and Kurt quietly argued ideas. Quinn looked ready to go back to sleep if no one got something soon. Finally, Tina got a small smile and crawled over to hang on the seat and whisper something to Puck. He smirked and nodded as he got to playing. At once the spirits began to rise again as Tina plopped back in her seat, next to where Artie was parked, and she started the ball as once more the others joined in.

_[ALL] "25 years and my life is still / Trying to get up that great big hill of hope / For a destination / I realised quickly when I knew I should / That the world was made up of this / Brotherhood of man / For whatever that means_

_And So I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed / Just To get it all out what's in my head / And I, I Am feeling a little peculiar / And So I wake in the morning and I step / Outside and I take deep breath / And I get real high / And I scream from the top of my lungs / What's goin' on_

_And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea / I said hey! What's goin' on / And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea / I said hey! What's goin' on _

_Oooh, oo! Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo / Oo-ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo / Oooh! Ooo-aah-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo / Oo-ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo_

_And I try, oh my God do I try / I try all the time / In this institution / And I pray, oh my God do I pray / I pray every single day / For a revolution"_

It was a peaceful kind of mood as the group shared in the song. Some leaned over the seats, others huddled together. Will sang with them, just as much part of their group.

_[ALL] "And So I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed / Just To get it all out what's in my head / And I, I Am feeling a little peculiar / And So I wake in the morning and I step Outside / And I take deep breath / And I get real high / And I scream from the top of my lungs / What's goin' on_

_And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea / I said hey! what's goin' on / And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea / I said hey! what's goin' on_

_And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea I said hey! what's goin' on / And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea / I said hey! what's goin' on_

_Oooh, oo! Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo / Oo-ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo-ahh-haa_

_25 years of my life is still / Trying to get up that great big hill of hope / For a destination"_

The song ending, Finn looked out the window. "Should we go help him?" he asked Will.

"I think you guys should stay in here, I'll go check on things, but tell you what… You guys try and find another song while I'm gone, alright?" He took his jacket and headed out. The whispering resumed. Matt moved to Brittany and Santana to discuss the song. Mike moved to get his jacket, handing it to Quinn, who was shivering just a bit. She smiled to him, thankful, as he moved to join the trio in back. Finn looked to Puck with the guitar, and he got an idea. It was still hard for him to talk to his former best friend, but he was at least able to address him again. "Think I got one," he told him, whispering it to him, just as Will returned, along with the driver.

"Hey, we're good to go," Will announced, drying out his hair as the bus erupted in cheers. While their teacher sat and the bus took off, Finn gave Puck a nod, and he began to play. Now it was a party again, heading back to Lima.

_[ALL] "Big wheels keep on turning / Carry me home to see my kin / Singing songs about the southland / I miss Alabamy once again / And I think its a sin, yes_

_Well I heard mister Young sing about her / Well, I heard ole Neil put her down / Well, I hope Neil Young will remember / A southern man don't need him around anyhow_

_Sweet home Alabama / Where the skies are so blue / Sweet home Alabama / Lord, I'm coming home to you_

_In Birmingham they love the governor / Now we all did what we could do / Now Watergate does not bother me / Does your conscience bother you? / Tell the truth"_

It was highly effective in making the rest of the trip go by as fast as possible, getting them home where they could finally rest, though every last one of them still thought of the ride together.

_[ALL] "Sweet home Alabama / Where the skies are so blue / Sweet home Alabama / Lord, I'm coming home to you / Here I come Alabama_

_Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers / And they've been known to pick a song or two / Lord they get me off so much / They pick me up when I'm feeling blue / Now how about you?_

_Sweet home Alabama / Where the skies are so blue / Sweet home Alabama / Lord, I'm coming home to you_

_Sweet home Alabama / Oh sweet home baby / Where the skies are so blue / And the governor's true / Sweet home Alabama / Lordy / Lord, I'm coming home to you"_

THE END


End file.
